Loaded Taco Burger

Do you love tacos and hamburgers? Loaded Taco Burgers are a great way to put an easy twist on a classic grilled meal. Ground meat plus four ingredients make an easy meal everyone will love!

This post is part of a sweet burger grill giveaway hosted by GirlCarnivore but the amazing burger recipe is all my own!

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Easy Hamburger Recipe Idea

We LOVE our easy recipe for the Best Taco Meatloaf, so when I was invited to participate in Burger Month 2019 I knew that I had to work on converting the meatloaf recipe into a burger recipe. The easiest way to do this is to take a few ingredients out of the meat mixture and add them to the top of the burgers when they are done grilling.

Taco Burgers combine equal parts ground pork and ground beef for more flavor. The ground pork can also help make the meal more economical. Doritos are crushed up and used to help bind the meat together. Taco seasoning adds a great flavor.

Shredded cheese and salsa can be mixed into the ground meat, but I’ve found that it is easier to add the salsa and cheese to the top when the burgers are done cooking. The salsa will likely run over the edges giving the burger a reddish look, but use a meat thermometer to determine that your burgers are properly cooked.

How Do You Keep Burgers Moist

The biggest grilling mistake that will dry out a burger in a hurry is flattening it with your spatula. If you like to keep burgers moist do NOT flatten your patty of ground meat during the cooking process. This action presses out those beautiful juices right onto the open flame.

A key is to flatten the patty ahead of time and make a divet in the center of the uncooked patty with your thumb. As the meat cooks the burger will puff up a little and fill in that divet. No flattening needed while grilling!

Another one of my pillars for success in the kitchen is the reminder to ALWAYS use a digital meat thermometer. Ground meat should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160ºF. Let meat rest for a few minutes after cooking to allow juices to redistribute more evenly. Overcooking meat is a crime and is an easy way to draw the moisture out!

Only flip burgers one time. Should burgers have the desired finished look on the outside before the center is 160ºF place burgers on a layer of foil to prevent burning.

Last year I was asked to share some tips for grilling burgers on the local news so I did quite a bit of research on how to keep burgers moist. Here are some great ideas for easy burger toppings in this article about Burger Ideas at Home.

Where to Buy Ground Meat

We are farmers and we raise both pigs and cattle. We typically get beef processed once or twice a year as needed. In the past decade or so it has been cheaper to buy pork at the grocery store than it is to pay to have your own animal processed.

I’ve had the opportunity to tour several larger processing plants and I can clearly see that bigger plants when managed well can be more efficient. Efficiency means lower costs. The meat processing business is very competitive which is good for the consumers.

I know that when you buy meat at a local processor or the grocery store you are still supporting farm families like mine across the United States.

What Should I Serve With Hamburgers

Our family loves grilling vegetables along with any meat that we grill. Vegetables can be grilled directly on the grates, but they take more attention and can fall through the grates easily. A grill basket like this makes my life MUCH easier. $15 to decrease hassle and increase vegetable intake is winning in my life!

Printable Taco Burger Recipe

Loaded Taco Burgers

Do you love tacos and hamburgers? Taco Burgers are a great way to put an easy twist on a classic grilled meal. Ground meat plus four ingredients make an easy meal everyone will love!

Course
Main Course

Cuisine
American

Keyword
Hamburger

Prep Time15minutes

Cook Time12minutes

Total Time27minutes

Servings6sliders

Ingredients

3/4poundground beef

3/4poundground pork

3/4cupcrushed Doritos

1tablespoontaco seasoning

1/2cupsalsa

6slicesquality cheese

Instructions

Mix ground meats, taco seasoning and crushed Doritos well. Form about 6 slider sized patties. Make a divet or dent in the center of each patty.

Pre-heat grill, then turn down to medium high heat for grilling the burgers.

Recipe Notes

The biggest grilling mistake that will dry out a burger in a hurry is flattening it with your spatula. If you like to keep burgers moist do NOT flatten your patty of ground meat during the cooking process. This action presses out those beautiful juices right onto the open flame.

A key is to flatten the patty ahead of time and make a divet in the center of the uncooked patty with your thumb. As the meat cooks the burger will puff up a little and fill in that divet. No flattening needed while grilling!

Another one of my pillars for success in the kitchen is the reminder to ALWAYS use a digital meat thermometer. Ground meat should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160ºF. Let meat rest for a few minutes after cooking to allow juices to redistribute more evenly. Over cooking meat is a crime and as easy way to draw the moisture out!

Only flip burgers one time. Should burgers have the desired finished look on the outside before the center is 160ºF place burgers on a layer of foil to prevent burning.